Proposed plastics ban sent to Lowell Council subcommittee

LOWELL -- At the rate of its production and improper disposal, plastic ending up in the ocean will outweigh fish pound for pound by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum.

The statistic released by the Swiss nonprofit environmental foundation in 2016 was referenced by City Councilor Karen Cirillo when she presented a trio of motions expressing environmental concern to fellow councilors during Tuesday night's meeting.

The three motions were refered to the Environmental Subcommittee for further discussion and review.

The first motion addressed included a call to ban the use of plastic bags in retail establishments 3,000 square feet or larger.

The motion originally involved a ban in retail establishments 4,000 square feet or larger, but Cirillo amended the wording to the lesser total during Tuesday night's meeting as a means to prevent potential economic harm to smaller "mom and pop stores."

"In Massachusetts we use two billion plastic bags per year and plastic takes an estimated about 1,000 years to completely break down," Cirillo told councilors. "This is not good for the environment and what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to move Lowell forward to be more environmentally friendly."

The other motions filed by Cirillo included a ban on the sale and distribution of Styrofoam food containers in the city. The motion included a requirement that all food packaging be recyclable or compostable.

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Finally, councilors addressed a motion by Cirillo that calls on the purchase of 10,000 reusable bags for seniors and low-income residents and a plan to distribute them.

Geofrey Koetsch, a Lowell resident and coordinator for the Merrimack Valley Sierra Club, a local branch of the national environmental organization, expressed support for Cirillo's motions during the public comment period.

"Critics will say, 'Everything we make is bad for the environment, so what's the use?'" he added, "The answer is, we need to make things differently. There are alternatives."

The motions came under fire from a pair of councilors, including City Councilor Rita Mercier and Rodney Elliott, who agreed they were well intentioned, but had flaws.

Mercier said she had received three calls from area business owners expressing concern about Cirillo's ideas, including the economic impact. For example, according to Mercier, a Styrofoam cup costs 1 1/2 cents to purchase, while a popular environmentally-friendlier alternative is 13 cents.

"I do have concerns, one being that I always thought it was the duty as leaders of the city to bring businesses to the city and once they are here do all we could to keep them here," Mercier said. "This motion does just the opposite.

"We will be forcing a problem that doesn't exist," she added. "Forcing people and businesses to go green is not something I feel like doing with the plastic bags."

Mercier also stressed that the consumer would be picking up the cost forced onto area businesses impacted by the potential legislation.

"Plastic bags, Styrofoam now -- what's next," Mercier said. "Paper bags to conserve trees? And I wonder where will it end."

Elliott called it a state issue, as the state legislation currently on the books is considering similar bans. Elliott's thought was shared by councilors John Leahy and David Conway

"If we are going to ban them, let's ban them across the state," Elliott said.

Leahy, James Milinazzo, Vesna Nuon and Edward Kennedy each took time to stress the importance of discussion, leading to a motion to bundle the three motions together and move them to Environmental Subcommittee for review.

"When we invented plastic we invented something that lasts almost forever, yet we chose to use it to make things that we use for just a few minutes and then throw it away," Kennedy said.

He acknowledged the state legislation to ban plastic in the stores. However, as mentioned by Cirillo during her opening presentation to councilors, dozens of communities across the state have taken action of their own.

"This is an opportunity to have a discussion on this and I think we should take the opportunity to do that," Kennedy said.

The resolution to send the motions to the subcommittee passed 7-2, with Mercier and Elliott voting against the resolution.

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